I didn't see it this morning, but someone on another group posted the
article about it...
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/DrJohnson/gastric_bypass_040720-
1.html There is a pic of her on the website.
A Costly Choice
Weight-Loss Surgery Wrecks Woman's Health-ABC News
July 20, 2004 Loren Root has gone from one weight extreme to
another, and she's scared her fragile health is about to fail
"I'm dying," said Root, 52, of California, who weighs just 87
pounds. "And I've been in constant pain for the last 2 ½ years."
At that time, Root weighed 330 pounds and she underwent gastric
bypass surgery to shrink her stomach and cut the absorption of food
in her intestine. But she couldn't stop losing weight after the
operation.
"I lost 200 pounds in the first year," she said on Good Morning
America. "I was very sick. I had all kinds of internal problems. I've
been in the hospital over 30 times in the last 2 ½ years."
During surgery, Root's doctor separated her stomach from her
esophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth) and created a
tiny stomach a pouch that was then attached to the lower part of
her small intestine. The pouch is about 1 ½ tablespoons in size, thus
cutting the amount of food absorption. A ring was put around the
pouch to slow the food intake so that Root would feel full after just
a few bites.
"Yeah, you feel full, but for me," she said, "I'll throw it up, or
I'll just get nauseous."
A Mystery
Root and her doctors don't know what's wrong with her body, and she
now regrets going into the surgery without asking enough
questions. "[I] didn't do any research or any investigation or
anything, like a dummy," she said.
Root's weight wasn't a problem while she was growing up in Los
Angeles. But after a divorce that left her raising a son on her own,
she packed on the pounds and lost her job as a legal secretary.
"I would use food as, you know, a comfort," she said. "I would find
myself, you know, staring in opening the refrigerator and just
staring into it. You find yourself doing that and eating."
Her parents worried about her health. "She'd stay in the house and
watch TV and eat candy," said her father, Mitch Root.
Root said she thought bypass surgery was a quick fix and was
impressed that celebrities had it done. She's not alone 150,000
people are expected to undergo gastric bypass surgery this year.
When she dropped too much weight, Root dropped her bypass surgeon as
well. Because she barely holds down any food, she's now being
nourished intravenously at UCLA Medical Center, where she is being
treated by another doctor.
"Her intestine is not working and cannot absorb any nutrient," said
Dr. Ian Yip. "We put a small catheter through the arm into a vein
near her heart, and we feed her nutrient into her vein directly into
her body."
Surgeons hope that if and when Root increases her weight to 120
pounds, they can open her up to change the bypass surgery. But while
her doctor is optimistic, he is also realistic about how difficult it
will be for her to gain enough weight for surgery.
"She's dying of slow starvation," Yip said. "Hopefully, we can get
her health back." Regrets and Hope
"All I want to do is be a normal person that's all," Root said,
crying.
Her mother, Penny Root, said through sobs, "We'd like to see a smile
on her face again." Her father added, "It's rough on the kid
[she'll] always be our kid."
Yip said not all gastric bypass patients are the same especially
those who can afford the best medical care. "Celebrities in general
have a different support than a common person," he said. "And I truly
believe this surgery should be a last resort."
Root wishes she could turn back time. "I would've researched. I
would've talked to people," she said. "You can find these support
groups, you can go on the Internet."
"People need to know that there's a really bad side to this
procedure," she said. "Death."